Kumho celebrates 50th anniversary

Kumho Tyres’ annual ‘Big Match Day’ at Manchester United in October was the focus of a three day European celebration of the company’s 50th Anniversary.

Some 120 VIP guests from 14 countries began the long weekend with a gala dinner at the magnificent Gorton Monastery. The welcome speech was given by Young Nam Byun, Head of Kumho Tire Europe, with a response by Manchester United Chief Executive David Gill. The star-studded evening was compered by the club’s resident stadium announcer, Alan Keegan, and guests included England and MU legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

The match day of October 30 was one of non-stop entertainment for the visitors and included tours of the MU museum, Megastore and Old Trafford stadium followed by lunch overlooking the hallowed pitch. Musical accompaniment was provided by renowned Manchester-born jazz singer Cole Page.

The sell-out crowd of 76,000 attending the massively popular home tie with Spurs were exposed to powerful Kumho branding around the stadium including: two gigantic 50 foot banners, pitchside advertising in three languages and back-lit 48-sheet posters. Outside the stadium a Kumho ‘Fanzone’ featured a prototype of Bowler’s new road-going Nemesis EXR, Damian Cole’s all-conquering Ford Focus WRC rally car and David Mann’s Subaru Impreza Group N rally car – all shod with Kumho tyres. There were also Kumho kickspeed cages for the kids to test their skills and a replica of the players’ tunnel, where they could be photographed running out alongside lifesize cutouts of some of the first team squad.

Kumho provided the game’s half-time entertainment too, which included a troupe of ribbon dancers dressed in Kumho colours, flag bearers and seven minutes of memorable pyrotechnics set to music; all of which provoked rapturous applause from the spectators.

United’s 2-0 victory made the day all the sweeter for Kumho’s delighted guests, who included distributors and retailers from countries as far apart as Korea, China, Russia, Ukraine, Kosovo, Germany and Italy.

Said Kumho’s UK Marketing Director John Thrupp, “Kumho had already celebrated the 50th anniversary in Korea and the ‘Big Match Day’ was our opportunity to recognise this major milestone on European soil. The event was a huge success from our guests’ point of view and there is no question we left a major impression on the crowd at old Trafford.”